Breakfast Sunday For Woodbridge Mom Killed In Hit And Run

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The surviving family of a single mom who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in front of the Woodbridge Wegmans is now launching the first-ever Kristen Bruschi Memorial Scholarship.

The family is offering the scholarship through the Woodbridge Elks. The Bruschi family and the Elks are holding an all-you-can-eat breakfast fundraiser Feb. 2, from 8 - 11 a.m. at the Woodbridge Elks Lodge (665 Rahway Ave, Woodbridge, NJ). You can purchase tickets in advance or at the door that morning. Tickets are $10 per adult, $5 for kids ages 5-9 and children under 4 are free.

All money raised from this, and other events, will be donated to provide a college scholarship for a local Woodbridge high school student.

"We have been grieving her loss for over a year now and our family wants to turn this tragedy into something positive in our community," said Bruschi's sister, Carolina Williams. "All profits will be donated to a scholarship fund in her name to be issued to a local Woodbridge student-athlete at a future event. We would like to continue this annually so Kristen's memory can be kept alive forever."

Bruschi, 45, was living in Fords at the time of her death. It was a beautiful, balmy early evening in late summer — Aug. 31, 2023 — and she decided to ride her bike to the Woodbridge Wegmans. Bruschi was walking home from the grocery store, a bag of groceries on her bike's handlebars, when she was hit by a car at 5:39 p.m. at Woodbridge Center Drive at Plaza Drive, one of the busiest intersections in town. She was walking her bike across the intersection. The speed limit there is 25 mph.

The driver who hit her, Antonio Rivera, 23, did not stop. He fled. In fact, shortly after the fatal collision, Rivera called Woodbridge Police and told them his black Mustang had been stolen. That's when Woodbridge Police told him to come into headquarters for questioning. There, police say he admitted that his car was not in fact stolen; that he knew he hit a woman but he "panicked and left the scene."

It was other people driving past who called 911 that evening.

Woodbridge Police found Bruschi lying in the middle of the intersection, unconscious and bleeding from her head. Police and EMTs did CPR and they were able to get a faint heartbeat back, but it was brief. Burschi was pronounced dead at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy.

Rivera, who lived on Fox Hill Run in Woodbridge and worked for Scott's Towing in town, pleaded guilty to second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, and fourth degree making a false report to law enforcement. In 2024, he was sentenced to five years in prison; he can also be released early for good behavior.

Bruschi's family continues to grieve her death. She was living with her mother, with whom she was very close, and was raising her then-15-year-old daughter, who would go back and forth between her mother's and her father's home.

Bruschi loved nothing more than being with her teenage daughter, said one of her sisters, Carolina. She loved the beach and she taught her daughter how to surf. The mother and daughter spent a lot of time surfing together, and paddleboarding. She was also a beloved aunt to many nieces and nephews, and loved to cook for her large extended family.

"Kristen came from a large family who loved her very much," said her grieving sister. "She was a good person with a heart of gold. All the young children in our family loved Kristen, especially her nieces and nephews. If you needed something, Kristen would always say yes. She would do anything for anyone."

Her family has always said they want the community to know this happened, mostly so Woodbridge residents can be aware as they walk and shop in that area, and prevent another tragedy from occurring.

Prior on this: 'Justice System Failed Us:' Family Of Woodbridge Woman Killed In Hit-And-Run (June 2024)

Prosecutor Won't Appeal 5-Year Term For Man Who Killed Woodbridge Mom (June 2024)